2002 lupo sport BURNING OIL and BROKEN CAT(S)!!

[green&black]

I am new to club lupo - hello everyone.

I have owned a 2000 vintage 16v 1.4S for a while now and it still doing us proud at 84,000 miles. We recently needed a new car so decided to get another Lupo and got ourselves a 1.4 sport edition from about 2002 with less than 30,000 on the clock.

However, since taking it home the engine check light came on. We had a diagnostic done and its emissions were too high, pointing to a problem with the catalytic converter. We put it on the ramp and the converter was basically in bits. We looked at the car and noticed that blue oil smoke was coming out of the exhaust. A very bad sign. We later discovered that the second, manifold catalytic converter was also dead. The assumption is that the burnt oil is killing the cats and therefore I don't intend to change the cats until I can fix the oil burning.

I feel done over as I bought the car privately and have little come back on the seller. Replacing the cats I can afford but a new cylinder head or engine will be too much. I have currently taken no action except an engine flush and we are driving it around as it is. I have found that the oil smoke is not continuous, sometimes just a little at start up, and that it seems to be smoking less the more I drive it.

I contacted VW, they didn't seem to be surprised (despite the relative youth and low mileage of the car) – which is worrying! They sounded fairly certain it would be valve guide and that we would need a whole new cylinder head.

My local mechanic suggested that there was a flaw with the engine designs of Lupos of this type and era. Hence you cannot get an exchange engine, only a new one which would cost only a little less than I spent on the whole car (and I'll still have to get the cats).

Can anyone substantiate the claim that there is a design fault with these engines? Has anyone else had similar problems/is this common? Is there anything I can do or a cheap way to remedy the problem? Otherwise it's basically a goner, which is a shame because it's a beauty to drive!!!

I would be very grateful for any help or suggestions.

Edited October 29, 2007 by green&black

[Tigz™]

There is clearly a fault, with the Lupo/Polo/Golf etc egines.

VW will not admit to it, I'm just trying to find the thread with the details of the problem my friend had.

[Pais340]

Well i had the problem, look me up on my thread.

Luckly Tigs had a engine for me.

If its the valve guides the cheapest way to go about it is to take it to engineering, its something like £2 per guide and if you do the all head at engineering i was quoted £180 plus vat.

There is a cat original on ebay for £60 i think it new.

Head gasket around £55 including the new bolts.

I have just resently gone through exaclty the same problem but its all sorted out and moted.

Something you should consider as well is the valve seals.

Luckly i did all the work myself so i got away litely.